Happy Birthday, Merlin
by Emrys MK
Summary: It's Merlin's birthday, but it is also the day after New Year's Eve...


Merlin peeked out from beneath the covers and could see that dawn was breaking outside. It was much too early to be up, and he didn't much fancy getting out of his mother's warm, comfortable bed (he normally slept on the floor, but one night each year his mum traded with him), but nature called, and… it was his birthday—he knew that his mum would have left him a present on the small kitchen table, a large red ribbon tied around it. For as long as Merlin could remember it had been this way.

He was filled with excitement; getting something new that was not a necessity was a rarity indeed, and it only ever happened once a year. Some of the children in the village only ever got things they had to have, such as shoes or clothing, but Merlin's mum had told him that if it was possible, she would always give him something he didn't need on his birthday because everyone deserved at least one new thing each year that they did not absolutely need. He had told her not to do this because he didn't want anything, but each year there was always something for him, and he guessed it would always be that way. As much as he thought his mother shouldn't do this, he loved her for it.

If it were up to him, he would wake his mum before running to see what he had got—getting something new was exhilarating and fun, and he wanted to share his happiness with her—but he knew from experience that the day after New Year's Eve was a day of recovery, not of celebration. Most of the adults in the village, which included his mum, slept most of the day away after their night of revelry, and even after they woke, most of them were in a less than festive mood and would walk around as if they had lost their best friend. It didn't seem to matter to them that one of their number was celebrating a very important milestone this day.

It wasn't all bad, though. For the evening meal his mum would make Merlin's most favorite food in the whole wide world, and she would again tell him the story of how he came to be born on what must have been the coldest day known to man—Merlin lived for this one moment more than anything else ever because it included his father, whom he had no recollection of. He soaked in every word his mother shared with him during this time.

But that wouldn't happen until the sun had nearly gone down, and at this very moment the sun had yet to fully rise.

It promised to be a long day.

Reluctantly, he pushed back the covers and climbed out of bed, his warmed little feet hitting the cold floor much too soon; he should probably find his socks and put them on, but he had almost waited too long as it was, so he ran to the door, opened it, and ran outside before quietly shutting it behind him, knowing he'd get in trouble if he woke anyone. He should have used the chamber pot that was beside the bed, but he found it so much easier just to go outside—no cleanup involved.

He ran around back and took care of his business and was running back towards the door when he heard Will calling his name. Merlin rolled his eyes. It wouldn't do for them to get in trouble this early in the morning.

"Quiet, Will! Do you want to get us in trouble?" he said as he put his hands on his hips and sighed dramatically, mimicking his mother.

"Have you opened your gift yet?" the boy asked, his voice no quieter than before.

"Nope. About to do that now," Merlin said with a huge grin on his face.

"Can I come watch?"

"No, silly. You know that my mum has banned you from the house on New Years!"

"Please, Merlin?" Will begged, his little face looking so eager and expectant. "I will be quiet. I promise."

Merlin knew better than to believe that. Will tried. Bless his heart, he really did, but he didn't have it in him to be anything but loud.

Old Man Simmons said it was in a boy's nature to be loud and that their boisterous tendencies shouldn't be quelled, but Merlin's mother, as well as Will's dad, did not at all subscribe to that thought, at least not when their children were inside, underfoot. When they were playing pretend, running through the woods after no-good bandits, and serving kings and queens, they could be as loud as they wanted.

"I'll go get it and bring it outside to open it, okay?" Merlin replied, a small smile on his face, hoping that would be enough to get Will to be quiet.

"Yeah, okay," was Will's sullen reply, but that twinkle quickly returned. "I wonder what she got you this year. I wonder if it is another cloak and hat like she gave you last year?"

Merlin grinned as he remembered his delight at seeing the robes made of fine materials that had been procured in a trade his mother had made. It was the most beautiful thing Merlin had ever seen and he would keep it forever, no matter that it already was too small for him to wear. "I don't think so; it must have taken her a long time to do that for me. She hasn't been able to do much sewing this year because of the bad crop and disease that killed all the game last year."

"Yeah, but she always gives you fun things. I wish I had a mum to give me fun things," was Will's sad reply, but then he smiled again and and looked like he was about to burst with excitement. "Go get it!"

Merlin was back in a few seconds, gift in hand. He shook it, but stopped when Will frowned. "What?"

What if it's breakable? You might have broken it." Will looked crestfallen.

Merlin hadn't thought of that. He had heard grownups telling others not to shake presents because they might break, but what would his mum give him that would break? He carefully opened the box and grinned as he looked up at Will and pulled out two small swords made of wood. They weren't like the one his mum had on the wall, the one she said had belonged to his father, but they were grand all the same.

There was writing on them, and this made Merlin frown. He didn't know how to read yet—his mum was slowly trying to teach him, but he was having a hard time. But he did know that his name was longer than Will's, and who else would his mum have made the second sword for? His eyes lit up as he showed them to Will.

"Oh, boy, Merlin, that is the bestest gift she ever gave you! We can use them when we are chasing the bandits!"

"This one is for you," Merlin said, knowing that Will would be happy that he had a sword as well.

"For me?" Will took the small sword in hand and looked at it with awe. "Your mum is the bestest, Merlin."

Merlin agreed with this wholeheartedly. Yes, maybe he was sad because his birthday was the day after New Year's Eve, which meant that his special day was always overshadowed, and maybe even forgotten by most, but when it came down to it, Merlin couldn't be sad. As Will had said, he had the bestest mum ever. She made him feel special every day of the year, so what was one day of the year?

"It is cold out here so I need to put on some shoes and get dressed, but then we can go play so we aren't underfoot." Merlin turned and began running towards his house.

"Merlin?" Will called out.

Merlin turned around, wondering what Will wanted. "What?"

"Happy Birthday!"


End file.
